a cup of coffee

hello one and all!!

please forgive my scary absence, i've been bedridden for the last couple of days with a mysterious bout of ninja flu - no warning signs, just - KERPOW! leaky nose and eyes, sore throat, self-pity, you name it!! so i made chicken soup and had honey and hot lemon and today i ate my own weight in toast and feel just spiffy! (the dubious benefit of the ninja cold is that it only lasts about three days) i read books, chatted to manboy, blew my nose, had a birthday party planned for me (thank you charlotte!!!) and pinterested. 

hugely. 

also, today marks the two week countdown to getting home! i am so excited about returning to damp scotland, though i know i'll miss corsica fiercely. heather, my dearest darling friend is visiting on wednesday this week and i am positively beside myself with excitement. she's here for a week and then i drop her off at the airport and pick up my gorgeous mother, take her for a whirlwind tour of ile-rousse, and then we fly home on the friday! phew...

anyway, enough text. let me perk up your fridays with some of my latest favourites on pinterest (real posting will resume shortly, i promise, but everything on pinterest is just so pretty! can you tell i'm making the most of it?)

subway tiles in kitchens and bathrooms are a new thing for me. i just love the way they bring an industrial feel to a rustic kitchen. rachel ashwell, of shabby chic, uses them to stunning effect in her bathroom. 

is this not the most adorable "hey guys, look what i made!" moment ever!?

excited about cocktail nights out (guess the theme of my birthday party?), but also about cocktail nights in!! there's something so beautiful about liqueur bottles with their jewelled colours. i love them all set up on a silver platter, too...

MORE gorgeous work from coralie bickford-smith (what a lovely name!). i am always in awe of this lady's talent. wouldn't this great food collection from penguin books add a gorgeous pop of colour to a person's kitchen? when they're finally released on the 7th of april, it's going to be really hard not to blow my pay on them!!! i'm already planning shelf space for them, somewhere amongst my hodgepodge of recipe books. 

if you have a spare moment, do have a look at ms. bickford-smith's website. she is a lady of incredible talent and is a real inspiration.

pamela love's stunning gold bear ring. i love bears almost as much as i do rings. phwoar. 

this beautiful magazine recently came to my attention, and as soon as it did, i was truly heartbroken as it isn't sold in the uk!! why, why?! was my plaintive cry. the only way to obtain it would be via subscription, and whilst it's a wildly tempting idea, i need a job to fund my follies!

blue and white china teacups...with wine stems. to go with the cocktail evening, because, y'know...why not? 

does anyone have a DIY for these? i will pay you in happy-vibes for the rest of your days.

ah, so very true.

another pearl of wisdom. anyone else agree with me?

another addition/addiction. the fuchsia pink and gold would go so well with the willow-patterned teacup/wine-stem glories above. 

happy friday everybody! i hope you all have fantastic weekends to look forward to!

the sources of all images may be found here!